Silver Linings
by Morningdove14
Summary: Silver lives with her grandmother and mother in a peaceful, perfect clearing. But when she ventures out one day, she smells a strange scent. And her life changes forever. My first Warriors multi-chapter story. Kindly read and review. It is written and edited to the best of my ability.
1. Prologue

**Hello readers.**

**As you switch your screens to this fanfic, and see what I've decided to do with my time now, you may notice that I'm reusing my work.**

**Let me explain.**

**This prologue was originally published under the name "Scalding Tears", a challenge done for the forum TreeClan, now deleted.**

**I recieved many kind reviews and favourites, and a couple requests to write more. For those people, your wish has been granted. I will write more.**

**"Scalding Tears" still exists. It's still around, and I will not delete it. Think of this as a different story. "Scalding Tears" is a tribute to TreeClan.**

**Without further ado, I present to you, "Silver Linings".**

**Except this.**

**Disclaimer: I am not, and never will be, one of the Erins. I do not have a second secret name where the initials are "EH". Sadly, I do not own Warriors, and probably never will.**

**Prologue**

Ever since they'd fled the clan, things had only gotten worse.

Oliveflower had only been trying to make a better life for her kit. After MistClan's leader had been murdered, Oliveflower had been far past afraid. So had the rest of her clan as the omens worsened; an outbreak of greencough, a frighteningly large amount of lightning, and sick and fatal prey. The count of dead had only grown as the horrible new leader of MistClan had forced the cats to stay away from the Gathering.

Oliveflower had been weak, too weak when her kits had come. Only two of the four kits had survived the night. Another had been lost a few days later, to weakness, she'd been told. But one of the dictactor's cronies hadn't quite met her eyes when she'd asked about the blood on his paws.

So she'd left two nights later, taking her only kit with her, and sneaking through the gentle patter of rain.

But now, barely a week later, Oliveflower was dying. She tried not to worry Pebblekit, but her daughter was too smart for her own good. Even now her tiny grey eyes pierced right through her into her heart, even as her mother was lost in the vast shadow of memory.

Oliveflower's fur burned with fever, and she was too fiery hot to draw her kit to rest beside her. Her mind wandered randomly, as her exhausted brain tried in vain to keep up.

Their small crackley alcove was silent and chilly, in a place where all the leaf-fall leaves had fallen.

Oliveflower could only be thankful Pebblekit was still alive. Her kit remained unaffected by sickness. She quietly admired her kit, so strong and beautiful, even though her fluffy grey pelt clung to her frame and her eyes carried no emotion. She looked so much like her father…

Oliveflower forced herself to focus, for though she wished she hadn't eaten the bad prey, she knew she had little time. She stretched out her dry, trembling tongue and tried to lick a bit of water from the damp moss next to her head.

"Pebblekit," she mewed, her throbbing throat cracking. "Stay hidden. And safe. I…" she coughed, tasting blood on her tongue, "I love you."

Pebblekit said nothing, as Oliveflower knew she wouldn't. Her little kit was mute, though from trauma or poor development Oliveflower couldn't tell.

Scalding tears dripped from Oliveflower's eyes. Her kit would have no one. She would be alone forever. MistClan had truly fallen…

Her eyes began slipping closed.

And for the first time, Pebblekit spoke.

"Don't worry, Oliveflower," she said softly. "Don't cry. I'll be safe. And MistClan will thrive. One day."

At long last, Oliveflower felt at peace. And the singing stars enveloped her.

**The next chapter will be original and never-before seen. Just you wait and see...**


	2. Chapter One

**Here is chapter one. Please review! And join my forum, LightClan!**

**Meet Silver, one of my newest characters.**

**Disclaimer: I am not, and never will be, one of the Erins. I do not have a second secret name where the initials are "EH". Sadly, I do not own Warriors, and probably never will.**

**Chapter One **

"One more story!" Silver begged her grandmother. "One more!"

The old gray she-cat sighed tiredly. "When does your mother get back again?"

Silver's tail twitched. "Please?"

The old cat closed her pale gray eyes. "Why don't you take a nap, Silver?"

Silver stood up. "I'm not tired!"

"You should be." The old cat's jaws stretched wide in a yawn. "I am."

"One more story?" Silver begged again. "Pleeeeease?"

A snore answered her. Silver cocked her head. She slowly backed away and left the den.

If Grandma wouldn't tell a story, Silver would make one. She was going exploring.

She looked around the small clearing where she, her mother, and her grandmother lived. They slept in the reed den that sat on the mushy ground. Her mother had told her it was a marsh.

She'd also told Silver to stay in the clearing. Her mother had refused to tell her of the dangers that lurked beyond their home, though she'd said there were many. Today, Silver would find out what they were, and she'd have the best story ever to tell her grandmother.

Maybe she'd even meet another kit to play with. Grandma was boring.

She quietly padded out of the clearing, winding around the reeds. She stepped into an even marshier area, and her paws splashed water all over her fur.

"Mousedung!" Silver hissed as slimy mud covered her gray pelt. She shook herself, but to her dismay, it stuck.

She flattened her ears irritably and splashed forward more, stubbing her paw on the edge of hard land. She gratefully pulled herself out of the muddy water and stood on the dry ground. The wind pushed against her flank. There was no cover around her to stop it. Silver padded forwards more, and stepped onto a stretch of short green stalks. She hadn't seen this before! She sniffed it and grabbed a few strands between her jaws to show to her grandmother.

She walked on through the vast stretches of the endless plant, delighted at the soft feel of it under her paws. Silver wondered if it went on forever.

She started running, squealing joyfully as the wind changed direction and began to push her forward even more rapidly. Faster and faster! Silver would never slow down! She was the fastest cat anywhere! Exhilaration pulsed in her veins.

But then she came to a stream and stopped, panting. She put down her stands of the plant and took a long drink. The water here tasted much better than in the clearing! Sweeter, without the faintest taste of mud.

Silver finally sat up, and looked across the stream, where more of the short green plant grew. She wondered if she could cross it without getting wet.

She took a step forward, and the wind changed direction. It blew across the stream, carrying with it the smell of the green plants. And something else...

Silver wrinkled her nose as she smelled the strange scent. She opened her mouth to scent it better. It smelled like... cats. Lots of them, many more than Silver had ever seen or heard! And they all smelled the same, like they were all one big family.

Silver wondered if there were kits her age over there. She took another step forward.

A voice meowed behind her. "Silver? What are you doing here?"

Silver jumped and spun around. Her mother stood there looking very cross indeed, her black pelt sharp against all the green behind her.

Silver looked up at her. "I... I wanted to explore!"

Her mother's green eyes, exactly like Silver's own, narrowed. "I told you not to leave the clearing! You're only two moons old!"

Silver wailed. "I was bored! And Grandma fell asleep!"

Her mother huffed. Without warning, she grabbed Silver's scruff roughly and raced off.

"My plants!" Silver reached out to where the strands of the plant lay. "I have to show them to Grandma!"

Her mother didn't pause. She ran across the land, much faster than Silver had gone. Soon she reached the reeds and darted around them, her paws not getting the slightest bit wet. They reached the clearing and her mother set Silver down.

"Just look at you! You're covered in mud!"

Silver shook her pelt again, the mud still sticking. Her mother sighed.

Her grandmother's voice came from the den. "Is that you, Olive?" She poked her gray-furred head out of the den. She frowned. "Why are you covered in mud?"

Her mother answered. "Pebble, I found her out in the grasslands."

The old she-cat sighed and lugged the rest of her body out of the reed den. "Why is it that when you're mad at me you call me by my name?"

"She was about to cross the stream into BrightClan territory."

_BrightClan?_ Silver wondered. She spoke out loud. "What's BrightClan?"

No one answered her.

"But she didn't?" her grandmother checked.

"No." Olive glanced at her daughter. "Because I stopped her."

Grandma nodded. "Thank goodness you did. But the important thing is that she's safe."

Silver's mother snorted. "The important thing? Why weren't you watching her?"

"I fell asleep."

"You said you'd watch her! You said you'd keep both eyes on her at all times!" Her mother started pacing. "Why didn't you? Can't I trust you?"

Her grandmother stepped in front of Silver's mother, stopping her. She looked her in the eyes. "Olive. You know you can trust me. But, you also know I'm getting older." She laughed. "Silver's got the spirit of a Clan cat. I can't stop her from being curious."

Her mother shook her head. "She can't be one of them."

"But she's like them."

Silver was growing irritated. She hated being ignored. "What's BrightClan? What's a Clan cat? What's grassland?"

Her grandmother purred and strolled over to her. "You were on grassland. Didn't you like the grass?"

Silver's eyes lit up. "The green stems?"

"Yes, dear."

"I loved it. I was going to bring you some, but..." Silver glared at her mother.

Grandma's whiskers twitched. "That's alright Silver."

Silver looked up at the old gray she-cat hopefully. "What about Clan cats? And BrightClan? What are they?"

Her mother spoke before Grandma could. "Another time. When you're older. Now, you need to get that mud off and go to sleep!"

"I'm not tired!" Silver protested. Her eyes drooped. "And I want to know now!"

"You will sleep!" Silver's mother said firmly.

"That way," Grandma meowed, "you'll have lots of energy to tell me about your adventure in the morning."

"And you'll tell me about-"

"Maybe."

Silver perked up. She let herself be guided into the den as her mother cleaned the mud off her. She let her eyes slowly slip closed, and, exhausted from the day's adventure, began to doze off.

Dimly, as if from far away, she heard her grandmother and mother talking.

"How'd it go?" Grandma asked.

There was a long pause. "MistClan has divided more."

"And?"

Her mother sighed. "I don't think there's any hope for them."

Silver fell asleep before she could hear any more. She dreamed of running so fast that she flew, soaring up over the grasslands and landing where the secrets lay.

**Well... what do you think? Is it worth continuing? Do I need to stop writing? Should I do nothing else? I'd love to hear from you!**


	3. Chapter Two

**Hello again! I present to thee the second chapter of my book!**

**I had so much fun with chapter one, and couldn't help but start writing the next right away.**

**Disclaimer: I am not, and never will be, one of the Erins. I do not have a second secret name where the initials are "EH". Sadly, I do not own Warriors, and probably never will.**

**Chapter Two**

A moon later, Silver still didn't have any answers.

Her grandmother had been watching her like a hawk, refusing to let her leave no matter how much Silver begged. Whenever she asked to know what everything was, Grandma only shook her head. She knew her mother had something to do with it.

"Not yet," she'd say, giving no other explanation.

Her mother was at home a lot more now, always watching Silver. And she was a lot grumpier. Silver didn't dare approach her for answers.

So Silver wondered. She wondered about what lay beyond the stream. She wondered what Clan cats were. She wondered what BrightClan was. And why her mother wouldn't tell her anything.

One night, she decided to find out.

Silver stayed up late, watching as her grandmother fell asleep quickly and as her mother's breathing gradually slowed down. She slowly crept out of the den, jumping at every little noise. She took a deep breath as she made it into the cold night air.

Silver took the dry path between the reeds her mother brought her back on. She emerged into the wide open fields. The grasslands didn't seem as bright now. Instead they seemed exposed and empty.

Suddenly a quiet voice sounded behind her. "So you're going."

Silver whirled around. Her grandmother had followed her. She sat just behind her, her tail settled over her paws.

Silver's own tail drooped. "Can't you just tell me?"

Grandma shook her head. "I'm sorry, I promised Olive I wouldn't."

Silver nodded glumly. "I know."

"So you'll have to find them out for yourself."

Silver's head shot up. "What?"

Her grandmother looked at her gently. "Your mother doesn't want you to be who you are. But I made a promise to my mother many, many years ago, when I was a kit. It is time for you to go out and fulfill this promise. It is time for you to know."

Silver stared at her. "What promise?"

Grandma paused. "That Mist would someday thrive."

Silver furrowed her brow. "How can mist thrive? It's just clouds! That's what you told me!"

"It is," Grandma meowed. "But it's also so much more. When the time comes, you will understand."

"But I want to know now!" Silver wailed.

Grandma put her tail over her mouth. "Hush, or your mother will hear. You will understand, I promise, now go!"

Silver opened her mouth.

"Go!" Grandma hissed. Her voice softened. "And may StarClan be with you."

"StarClan? What's-"

Her grandmother gave her a rough lick on her ear. "They will guard you. Go."

Silver stared at Grandma. She hadn't seen her like this before. But there was a look in her grandmother's eyes that made Silver slowly turn around. And run across the open lands.

It wasn't until she could see the stream that Silver realized what the look in Grandma's eyes had been. It was hope.

Silver slowed down as she reached the stream. She was surprised to see it was lower than the last time. Her mother had told her that it only happened in leaf-fall, when the world started getting for leafbare. Silver briefly wondered what leafbare would be like. She took a long drink of water.

She looked over her shoulder, half-hoping that her mother would show up to take her home like last time, and decide to tell her all the secrets and answer every question she had.

But no one appeared.

Silver turned back and the strange scent of many cats again met her nose. She ventured forward, closer to the stream, wondering if she'd even make it across.

A half-moon shone in the sky above, lighting the way. Silver felt her stomach flop suddenly. She was really going to do this. She was going to cross the stream. She was going to find answers.

Silver stepped forward, and started splashing through the stream. The flow of the stream was stronger than she'd expected.

Suddenly, she slipped and the current lifted her. She flailed around as her head dunked under the surface. Her head popped up for a moment, and she noticed that the stream had become much wider around her.

"Help!" she wailed before being dunked back under. The water carried her on, faster and faster. Would she die before she found her answers?

Suddenly, she felt strong jaws grab her scruff and pull her out of the water. She felt herself being dumped on the dry grass.

Silver coughed and stumbled to her feet. "Th-th-thank you," she stuttered, her teeth chattering.

She looked up at her rescuer and gulped. It was a big-shouldered black tom and he did not look pleased.

"Who are you, and why are you on BrightClan territory?" the tom growled.

**Cliffhanger!**

**I hope you enjoyed it! I had a lot of fun writing it.**

**I'd love to have some reviews. It really means a lot, so thanks to you who did review!**

**I have a question for you all. I have noticed and been told that there are a lot of fics called Silver Linings, so I'm on a quest for a new title! If you have any ideas, please review them and I will consider.**

**Thanks for reading!**


	4. Chapter Three

**Hi!**

**Thank you for your kind reviews and lovely title suggestions. I have a couple ideas, but I always appreciate more!**

**A HUGE thanks goes to the wonderful AmberyAmber for drawing the new title page, as well as for taking the time to give me some valuable constructive criticism. Three cheers for the talented Amber!**

**Disclaimer: I, sadly, am not Erin Hunter. Or one of them. I claim no rights whatsoever to the Warriors cats books. **

**Chapter Three**

Silver stared up at the huge scary tom, shivering. Water dripped from her fur. Her teeth were chattering so much she could hardly think to talk.

But the glare from the tom forced her to.

"I'm S-Silver." She hated how her voice came out in a squeak.

"Silver," the tom repeated, lashing his thick black tail. "Why are you here?"

"I-I..." What could she say? "I don't know."

The black tom blinked. "Um... what's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know," Silver said again. She paused. "I want..." She trailed off. The tom lurking over her wasn't helping.

Suddenly, she wished she were back at home, curled up in her warm nest, begging Grandma to tell her stories. Why had she left? What was she doing here?

"I want to go home!" she mewed, shaking from cold and fear.

Looking uncomfortable, the black tom stared at her. "What do you do with kits?" he muttered. "Uh, I'm Shadefur. Do you want to come with me?"

"No," Silver told him.

Shadefur's shoulders slumped. "Now what?" he said to the sky. He looked back down at Silver. "Come with me...?"

Silver shook her head. She really didn't want to go with him.

"Fine," he grumbled. Abruptly, he seized Silver's scruff and raced off.

Silver gazed at the ground rushing by under them. She curled her body up and tried to keep herself from brushing against the ground.

"Where are we going?" she mewed above the noise of his pounding feet.

"To BrightClan," Shadefur said, meowing around her scruff.

Silver's eyes widened. BrightClan! They were going to BrightClan! She would finally find out what it was!

She swung over the grasslands. At last, the pair arrived at a sharp dip in the nearly flat grasslands. Opening her jaws to taste the air, Silver's eyes widened. She could smell the cats! The many, many cats whose scent had brought her here!

Slowing, Shadefur carried Silver down a narrow path, into the dip. He set her down.

There was still grass here, though it was shorter and even softer on Silver's paws. She flexed her claws into the spongy dirt, letting them sink in to the moist ground. She sat at the edge of a clearing, much bigger than her home. Dens lined the edges, much like hers by the marsh, except they were woven from tall grass instead of reeds.

"BrightClan," Shadefur said gruffly. "Wait here." He vanished into a den at the far end of the clearing.

Silver waited. This was BrightClan. But what exactly was it?

**Sorry for the wait! There will be another long wait as well, as I'll be away for a while, and have a LOT to write, both Fanfiction related and not.**

**Thank you all for taking the time to read and review (hint, hint) my story. Again, thank you AmberyAmber!**


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